While the totality itself lasts just a few minutes, the vast coverage over 14 states meant that millions had the potential to see it with millions more travelling from the wider United States just to get a view.

Cities directly located along the line of totality have seen an influx of tourists and eclipse viewers.

Hopkinsville, Kentucky saw its population rise from 30,000 to over 100,000 in just a few days.

Meanwhile on the east coast, Madras, Oregon suffered an even greater strain as the small town which normally a population of just 7,000 also saw its numbers rise to well over 100,000 people.

For the scientific community, the eclipse was a rare opportunity to both study the event and drum up interest in the work they do every single day.

NASA’s impressive livestream coverage as well as its comprehensive website dedicated to the event allowed every visitor to both witness the phenomenon from around the globe while also learning about the science that will take place as well.

While most saw this as a chance to simply witness a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, others saw this as a spiritual moment.

Bryan Fischer, host of a Christian radio show in the US, even went as far as to claim that the eclipse is a sign of the work of satan.

A solar eclipse creates two large shadows: The umbra and the penumbra.

As it reaches Earth the umbra will get smaller, creating a dark spot, this is the total solar eclipse. The penumbra on the other hand gets larger, covering huge swathes of the planet with a partial solar eclipse.